Whiffletree



(No Model.)

I. R.WILLSO-N. Sr. WHIFFLETEEE.

No. 3'76,4\6Z; Patented Jan; 17, 1888. k

may 1 'used for connecting the two frames.

UNITED STATES PA ENT OFFICE.

FREEMAN R. VVILLSON, SR, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

WHIFFLETREE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 376,462, dated January 17, 1888.

Application filed September a. 1887. Serial man acs. (Nomo:le1.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, FREEMAN R. WrLLsoN, Sr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Whiffietrees and Neck- Yokes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 7 g

'This invention is an improvement on my patents Nos. 212,639 and 226,896, granted, respectively, February 25, 1879, and April 27, 1880. In the earlier draft devices covered thereby the parts are subject to considerable lateral strain, especially where two horses are used together in plowing or drawing a vehicle and one of them starts ahead of the other, making the pull of the latter necessarily oblique. It therefore becomes highly des rable to provide some means for automatically adjusting the draw-bar and spring so that the pull shall come in the direct forward line, whatever may be the inclination of the singletree, doubletree, or neck-yoke to which the aforesaid parts are attached, without depriving the draw -bar of the bracing and guiding effect of the disk or plate through which it passes, and to effect. this without strain on the guide-bars or guide-frame within or in contact with which said spring works. This is the chief object of my present invention; but I have also had in view to simplify and facilitate the taking apart of my improved spring-whiffletree attachments and the putting of them together again, as well as sundry other advances in the art. To this end I employ, by preference, the construction hereinafter more particularly set forth, although, as will appear, my claims are not all limited thereto.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan View of a spring-whiffletree with attachments embodying my invention. Fig, 2 represents a perspective view of the spring draw-bar and disk detaehech- Fig. 3 represents a detail view of one of the blocks Fig. 4

representsa plan View of a modification on a smaller scale. Fig. 5 represents a similar view of another modification.

.A designates a whiflietree, which may be either a singletree or doubletree having the usual terminal clips, a, with eyes for attaching the traces or the singletrees, as the case may be. From these clips truss rods B extend obliquely inward and backward toward each The blocks 0 have rigid oblong-headed buttons 0, two to each block, one extending upward and the other downward. The necks of these buttons are within oblong horizontal slots (2, made in the rear corners of two triangular frames, D, the heads of the buttons normally crossing said slots. These frames are counterparts and arranged one above the other, ap-

proximately in parallel planes, though somewhat rounded out in the middle for the better accommodation of the spring, hereinafter de scribed. A bolt, E, passes through the body of the whiffietree and the forward ends or apices of these frames D. When the nut e of said bolt is tightened and the otherlnuts, hereinbefore mentioned, are screwed home, the frames D, blocks 0, truss-rods B, and whittletree A are all held rigidly together; but by loosening said nuts, removing them and said bolt, and turning the blocks so that theoblong heads of thebuttons 0 will be lengthwise of slots cl and pass through the latter, the various parts aforesaid may be easily separated. This allows the separation, also, ot'the spring, disks, and draw-bar, hereinafter described.

F designates the draw-bar, having an eye, f, rigid with its rear end and a disk or plate, G, rigid with its forward end, the latter end and disk being normally in proximity to the body of the whiffietree, but quite free therefrom.

H designates another disk or plate, having a central opening, h, through which said drawbar passes, and buttons Iat opposite points of its periphery. These buttons have long strong necks and oblong heads, the former being in lCO oblong slots J of the frames D and the latter tion it may meet with. This same device may extending across said slots. These slots are at right angles to the slots d and exactly in the normal line of draft. They are of sufficient size to allow the necks of buttons I to turn freely therein, although the heads of said buttons prevent said disk H from separating from frames D until these frames are unbolted and disk H is turned so as to bring the heads of buttons I in line with slots J, that they may pass through the latter.

A strong spiral spring, II, surrounds the draft-rod between the disks G and H and in the space partly incloscd by the two frames D. These frames leaving open the sides of said space toward the ends of the whiffletree, the draw-bar, disks, and spring are free to vibrate in either of such directions, the necks of buttons I turning in slots J to allow such motion. These buttons are in effect trnnnions or gudgeons, as well as fastening devices, therein differing from buttons 0, which serve no purpose but that of attachment or detachment.

The swiveling or pivotal motion of the drawbar or its equivalent may be produced or allowed in various other ways, several of which are illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. Thus in Fig. t the whiftletrce A is provided with a plate, L, to which a ring, M, is attached. From this a draw-bar, N, extends forward, having a cap, 0, at its outer end, adisk, I, movable on it, a spring, Q, between said disk and cap, and two rods, R,-extending forward from said disk through said cap to the draft-ring S. In this modification the ring M, which is loosely hung to said plate and turns in its fastening, provides the necessary lateral play. As shown in Fig. 5, the same result may be effected by dispensing with the plate L and extending an eyebolt, T, through the whiiiletree instead, another eye,engagingtherewith, being formed on the rear end of the drawbar M. In all other respects this modification is like that shown in Fig. at.

The construction shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is preferable to these modifications as being stronger and affording better protection to the spring; but they are like it in having a hinged or pivoted support for the drawbar-,the spring,- and the movable seat or disk in contact with said spring. The free play thus allowed onables the draw-bar and spring to adjust themselves to the direct line of draft without binding against any part of the whifiletree or its attachments. Thus when two horses are employed the inclination of the doubletree, due to theirregular forward motion of the animals, will not affect either singletree provided with this self-adjusting-spring attachment.

Where a single horse is used,the whiffletree will maintain its proper position and the draft will be straight forward without strain in spite of any accidental sidewise motion of the vehicle or plow or the effect of any obstrucbe used, of course, with an evener or neckyoke. In the latter case the only necessary addition isa ring welded in the eye of the draw-bar to put the wagon tongue or pole through.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isi 1. A whiffletree or its equivalent, a slotted plate pivoted to a fixed attachment thereof, a draw-bar passing through said plate, another plate attached to said draw-bar and movable therewith both laterally and longitudinally, and a spring arranged between said plates to take the strain of said d raw-bar, substantially as set forth.

2. A slotted plate provided with gudgeons, in combination with frames in which said gudgeons turn, a whifiletrec or its equivalent, to which said frames are attached, another plate which is movable laterally and rearward, a draw-bar attached to the latter plate and passing through the former, and a spring be tween said disks, for the purposes set forth.

3. In combination with a whiffletree or its equivalent and its terminal clips, the frames for the draw-bar, the blocks connecting them, and the truss-rods detachably seen red to said blocks and to the ends of said whiffletree, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the frames having oblong slots (Z, with the blocks 0, having buttons c with oblong heads, the whiffletree to which said frames are fastened, and a spring and draw-bar in the space between said frames, substantially as set forth.

5. The frames having oblong slotsJ, in combination with the disk G, having trunnions which are free to turn therein, the draw-bar working through a central opening in said disk, thedisk or seat H on the end of said drawbar, the spring K, and the whiffletree, substantially as set forth.

6. In combination with a drawbar and its spring, the slotted frames to which they are at tached, and a piece having buttons I,\vitli oblong heads to serve both as trunnions, allowing lateral vibration, and as means of attaching and detaching said spring and draw-bar to and from said slotted frames, substantially as set forth.

7. A stn'ing-whiffletree provided with open frames D for the spring and draw-bar, allowing lateral motion of the draw-bar, and with trusses for said frames, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREEMAN R. \VILLSON, SR.

Witnesses:

WALTER H. MARTIN, E. It. SHARP. 

